Parent post is right on the money. Many companies talk a big talk about tech but ultimately believe it is not a core enabler of innovation, but rather a necess

Parent post is right on the money. Many companies talk a big talk about tech but ultimately believe it is not a core enabler of innovation, but rather a necessary but annoying cost that they haven't figured out how to minimize effectively. I've definitely seen that in the past. They're more businesses that use technology, rather than technology companies. Often, fashion dictates their technical aesthetic more than actual taste. Which is fine, as long as they're honest about it. (And I just _feel_ someone itching to justify this point to me in a reply. Don't bother.) Current trajectory of my career is that of a technical specialist, namely in the area of static/dynamic analysis and compilers. Basically, the science part of "computer science." Of course, not many companies do this sort of thing. That's fine. There are companies that value experts, and expertise, but they may not be the types of companies that get talked about on HN. The tech world is much bigger than HN. I could write a book on this; I have gone all the way down the rabbit hole of burnout and back in trying to carve out my career niche. It can be done.